Of rice wine and smoke.

It was no surprise to see Fujikawa sitting at a table in her favourite Izakaya, a full bottle of sake and a plate of Karaage before her. Despite how this was her second bottle of the stuff, drunkenness was yet to set in, but it was most definitely coming. Her cheeks were already slowly turning a shade of crimson and she could slowly feel the warmth of an alcoholic buzz spreading throughout her body. Still, it would have taken far more than a bottle or two of this stuff.

“Tch. Damn it bartender. I’ve been a customer here for a year and you’re still holding the good stuff back?” She snapped at the only other person in this back-alley gastro: the bartender. He turned away from the sink of dishes he was cleaning and scowled at the chemist, short cropped black hair framing his features.

“That is the good stuff. I don’t get enough customers for anything better so sit down, shut up, drink your fill then piss off.” Then there was silence, the two of them scowling at each other, tensions flying between the two of them until… they started laughing. A loud and hearty guffaw filled the interior of the building, Fujikawa throwing her head back as she did so. Slowly the duo calmed down, the laughter subsiding.

“Ahhh...yeah yeah. Don’t mind if I smoke do ya?” The bartender casually waved her off, muttering “yeah yeah” under his breath. The chemist whipped her pipe out, ignited the contents with a single strike of a flint then sat back in her chair to smoke. A rather pleasant aroma of burning wood soon began to spread out through the store, escaping out of the windows into the dark streets of the village.

The Land of Water was a fairly nice place, as far as places that weren’t climate controlled went. The air was damp like always and colder than she found comfortable, but despite her minor discomfort she still had a cheerful smile on her face as she wandered the streets of the metropolis looking for an interesting story. Zoe was always looking for a good story, it was her whole reason for taking the portal to Earth in the first place. She hadn’t dressed for the weather, but then again it’s not as though she had many things to choose from, while she had brought a small bag of belongings she hadn’t been prepared for the sheer amount of laundry taking care of those belongings would take.

At first the act of hand washing her lace and silk clothing was exciting and she’d made many notes about it.

‘Soap is the most fascinating chemical compound. Tastes terrible - do not eat it. But just like some humans, one end of the molecules like water and the other doesn’t. Is that humans? Or cats?’

After a while though it wasn’t nearly as exciting and she now felt she had a mild grasp of the concept known as ‘boredom’. It wasn’t as terrible as everyone made it out to be, if anything it gave her the opportunity to let her mind wander and create exciting new stories extrapolated from what she had already experienced. Those stories weren’t quite as substantial as the ones she was able to view happening around her, but it was still entertaining.

As she wandered aimlessly down the street she thought of something with her super thinker. Which was her brain. Her brain was thinking that she couldn’t quite place the interesting smell that her nose had picked up. It smelled a bit like the woods but hung heavily in the humid night air and Zoe followed the scent of burning until she thought she had found its source. A small building that also smelled vaguely of food and old wood with the smallest amount of light coming out from under its front door was her destination. With a quiet gasp of excitement she would push her way through the door and into the dimly lit bar. Inside she saw only two people which she thought was wonderful, seeing the humans in their natural habitats was always adorable.

Walking up to the table where a beautiful red haired woman sat, and was clearly the source of the smoky smell, she would pull out a chair and plunk her tiny self down in it. “What is that? I can’t place the smell.” She would gesture towards the woman’s pipe curiously before resting her chin in her hands with her elbows on the table. Her bright blue eyes were filled with enthusiasm as she rested her blue fingernails gently on her face as she waited for a response.

Regardless of how wonderful Zoe found the bar’s inhabitants, they did not share her perspective. Both the bartender and Fujikawa focused their gaze on this blond intruder. Who was she? Why was she here? How had she found this place? The bar was rather out of the way and rarely had much walk-in traffic because of that. Still, she was welcome here even if not trusted, especially given how the blond strutted over to Fujikawa’s table and took a seat at all, all without asking.

“Ho? Aren’t you a delightfully bold little thing. No introduction, no greeting. You simply strutted up and asked what you wanted.” Fujikawa took another puff from her pipe, exhaling the smoke purposefully towards Zoe. in truth, the chemist was yet unsure what to think of the blond girl. She was bold and seemingly unconcerned by approaching strangers but there were still a few other questions gnawing at Fujikawa: namely who this girl was.

“Ho? This is my Kiseru. I am surprised you are yet to be exposed to such things.” She puffed on her pipe, exhaling the earthy scent out past her lips in a gentle motion. Then, an idea struck the chemist. She cast her gaze towards the bartender and winked subtly enough while tapping her pipe against her empty glass. She stepped away from the table, returning with a new bottle of sake and a full pint glass of hop-based beer.

“My treat. Let’s see how well you hold it.” Fujikawa gently pushed the pint glass towards Zoe, before uncorking and refilling her own glass with sake in a single soft motion. It was a perfect pour, not spilling a single drop despite the partially inebriated nature gripping her brain, as evidenced by the alcoholic scent on her breath.

Zoe had definitely not asked to sit at the table, it wasn’t something that occurred to her. Where she was from there was no such thing as privacy, it wasn’t part of the culture. And so the idea that someone might want to not share their table was foreign to her. So when the woman described her as ‘delightfully bold’ she had no other thought but to take it as a compliment. Her smile was sincere as she answered the woman’s comments. “Thank you! I’m Zoe Zor-El, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Zoe would pull out her notebook and pen and make an entry regarding the smoke.

‘The smell of smoke came from a ‘Kiseru’. Some sort of pipe? Apparently a common thing - unsure about the contents of said pipe. But whatever it is, it smells wonderful when burnt. Unlike a lot of things.’

The blonde woman would smile and laugh as Fujikawa spoke of her not being exposed to such things. That was the understatement of the century. She knew full well what the concept of pipe smoking was, it was the in person experience she was lacking. About a great many things. Knowledge was one thing and that she had in abundance, but the experiences were what made things worth knowing at all. “I do still have quite a lot to experience. The scent of it just drew me in here, fascinating thing.” She would gesture towards the pipe as she spoke, setting aside her notebook as a glass of pale gold liquid was passed to her.  

Based on the setting she could surmise that this was most likely beer. She’d seen people drink it and they’d always looked so satisfied so without hesitation Zoe would bring the glass to her lips and take a drink. Her blue eyes would widen and her nose would wrinkle as the bitterness of the drink hit her tongue. “O-oh. That is not what I was expecting at all. People like this? I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.” She would pull out her notebook again and make some more notes.

‘Beer, a word with ambiguous origins, because everyone wants to think they invented it. The drink it references is not ambiguous. It is bitter and makes me feel sad that I put it in my mouth. I’m starting to notice a trend.’

“Hmm...a pleasure. Fujikawa is my name.” With a soft chuckle she leaned back in her chair, resting an arm upon it as she took another puff from her pipe. She calmly and quietly watched Zoe write something down in her book and the chemist had to admit that she was rather curious what exactly was written in it. Thoughts? Observations? Or just some simple musings? Perhaps Zoe was a tourist. That would have made sense. Her lack of exposure to things and abject curiosity did strike Fujikawa as very tourist-y.

Now came the entertaining moment. Fujikawa watched as Zoe tried the beverage, her eyes widening and nose wrinkling as she expressed what could only be described as displeasure. It was true that beer was hardly for everyone but that was part of the experience. One did not drink beer because they enjoyed it but simply because it was a cheap way to get drunk and getting drunk was the means by which many escaped their issues.

“Bahahahahaha. Young lady you’re ten years too early to be criticising the beer.” The same hearty laugh as always escaped from her lips before she took another puff on her pipe, purposefully blowing the smoke so that it floated towards Zoe.

“But yes, you raise a point. It is hardly the most appealing drink in the world. Although, in truth I do believe it is designed to just be an easy way to get drunk.” Her preference was for sake or wine, something with a sweet or fruity taste. Beer was by no means her favourite drink in the world and from experience, Fujikawa had been led to believe that was true for everyone.

Zoe took a moment to write down the flame haired woman’s name in her notebook.

‘‘Fujikawa - woman with the Kiseru. Beautiful and striking, red hair and red eyes. Pale skin though, which is an interesting contrast. Also quite tall, or at least appears to be based on what I can see from her sitting.’’

The moment after she expressed her dislike of the beverage Fujikawa laughed heartily, and despite herself Zoe laughed along with her. She found the laughter infectious and wanted to revel in the mirth created by the situation along with the woman across from her. Her comment about Zoe being ‘young’ and ‘ten years too early’ did get a questioning look from the blonde. While she was aware that she looked a good deal younger than her actual age of several centuries, she didn’t think she looked all that much younger than Fujikawa. With a shrug she would just chalk it up to another human quirk and smile brightly. ‘“I didn’t realize that criticizing things that tasted bad was limited solely to an age.” She grinned as she joked good naturedly. ‘“Thank you though, I do appreciate the generosity. Is this what’s called an ‘acquired taste’?”

Each time Fujikawa would exhale the smoke from her pipe in Zoe’s direction, Zoe would inhale appreciatively. The smell of wood and smoke was wonderful, and when mixed with the strong scent of lilies and nectar that she exuded it created a delightful aroma that Zoe thought might be akin to some descriptions of perfumes she’d heard of. Taking another small sip of beer, Zoe’s nose would wrinkle in distaste again, a shiver running down her spine and causing her to shake and laugh as she swallowed the bitter liquid. ‘“I’ve never been drunk before. From what I’ve seen it seems rather fun though. Most of the time. Oh! If we’re going to be drunk though, does that also mean there will be singing? Or dancing?! I’ve seen that those often go together.” Zoe was beyond excited at the prospect of properly getting drunk. Mostly she had observed it at large gatherings, parties, bars and the like. And it really did look like fun, and while intellectually she knew that the ‘fun’ part was the byproduct of slowly poisoning oneself, there was too much evidence to deny that it was enjoyable, even if a bit damaging.

Fujikawa found herself again rather curious about Zoe's notebook and her continuous scribbling in it. Outside of that she did strike one as being a rather impressionable girl, regardless of whether she was young or not but that was based entirely on just how...inexperienced with things she seemed. She also came off as very naive and quite simply gullible.

“Yes. It is not exactly a favourite of mine however. You don’t have to keep drinking it dear.” The chemist’s eyes turned away from Zoe, resting on the bartender, as her expression grew rather apathetic. She yawned slightly, sluggishness and relaxation gripping her as it so often did at this time of the day. Sake. She needed sake. The chemist yet again vacated her seat and approached the bar, where there was already a glass and a bottle of sake waiting.

“Thanks.” It was just another one of those little things that the bartender did for Fujikawa, having long since gotten used to his newest but most consistent customers habits. She soon returned to her former seat, sitting down and pouring herself a glass of the rice wine. She swiftly downed it before taking another puff on her pipe, the tobacco within slowly burning down.

“Hmm? Probably not. Not every drunk ends up like that.” The chemist, for instance, was a very relaxed and melancholic drunk, prone to detachment and wanting to simply smoke in peace. Other drunks she had observed, when they bothered to visit this establishment, were more rowdy, some were emotional and others got angry. There was a surprising amount of variety really.

“Mmm….you are rather cute you know? How about you come a little closer and tell me more about yourself? Where are you from? Things like that~” Fujikawa was simply put, a degenerate. She loved teasing, tormenting and messing with the cute and adorable, especially if they were blond. In fact she liked every hair colour...except for auburn. Auburn sucked.

Zoe was glad to hear that she didn’t have to keep drinking the beer, but also she was invested in experiencing being drunk, so she took another large gulp of the bitter beverage and smiled at the red haired woman.

“I don’t mind drinking it actually. It does seem like every drink tastes a little better, and I am excited to experience ‘drunk’. So if this is the easiest way to get there, then I’ll take it.”

Zoe had no way of knowing that the mindset she had currently adopted was going to most likely result in her also experiencing ‘hangover’. Hearing Fujikawa’s explanation of the various drunken states humans found themselves in left Zoe rather disappointed. She had been looking forward to dancing and singing and general frivolity, but it seemed that that was unlikely to happen. At least unlikely in the sense that no one would join her, but it didn’t stop Zoe from being able to do those things. Which she probably would, because she was the embodiment of ‘yes, and’.

She beamed as Fujikawa called her cute, she was starting to understand why humans craved compliments so much, they did feel rather nice. A warm fuzzy feeling that may or may not have been a result of the beer, began to fill her as she stood and pulled her chair close to Fujikawa and climbed back into it sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Fujikawa had said a little closer, but it didn’t matter much to Zoe, especially at the moment. What she didn’t realize was that part of the reason she had never been given alcohol before was the flower dna that had been mixed into her genetic makeup, alcohol was frighteningly powerful when used with plants, and especially flowers. Which she basically was. She gave off a strong aroma of lilies and sweetness and now unfortunately, beer. And that beer was already working its magic on the child of light, her cheeks were flushed and she was even more smiley and giggly than she had been when she first arrived.

“Tell you about myself? Well, there’s not much to say really, I’m new here. Only arrived. . . a few days ago? It’s hard to remember, so much has happened in that short time. Where I come from I was a Record Keeper, but here I’m going to be an investigative journalist! Or a television host. Or something like that. I want to record all the things that make Earth wonderful. Which is everything by the way. Except hair. Hair is fine and all, but it tastes terrible. Kind of like beer, only less wet.” Zoe’s rant was in keeping with her usual personality, but was a bit more exuberant and open than she had been with everyone she’d spoken to so far. It was probably the beer.

“Hah! Boldness is a trait I do find rather endearing. Drink your fill then. I am sure the bartender will be more than glad to open you a tab in your name.” It was clear that Fujikawa would not be sustaining Zoe’s drinking beyond the first round. She chuckled warmly before throwing an arm around Zoe, pulling the blond closer. The red head placed her pipe down upon the edge of an ash train, using her now freed hand to softly grasp her new toy’s chin or at the very least she was attempting to.

Zoe would find her head lifted up by Fujikawa, forced to look deep into the medical ninja’s crimson gaze. It was a vibrant and energetic thing, a whirling maelstrom of passion, exuberance and perhaps concerningly, a small ember of simmering hatred buried deep. Still, the chemist found Zoe oh so very pretty. The blush in her cheeks added colour to her white skin. The scent of sweetness and lilies emanating from her was weird but appreciated.

“Mmm? You wish to be either a journalist or television host? My my~” Then Zoe admitted, or at least implied, she had eaten or tasted hair at some point. A rather silly notion to be sure but such airheaded innocence was something Fujikawa was slowly learning to expect from this girl. Zoe’s mention that she had only arrived a few days ago was noted and stored away, a little nugget of information that would soon form a bigger picture.

“Hair is not for eating my sweet lily. Hair is for simply dressing up and acessoring, a tool to make one look attractive.” As is to punctuate her point Fujikawa pulled the hand that had been grasping Zoe’s chin away, running it through her hair before flicking her hair outwards, the deep red and dyed locks of hair catching the light. The truly attentive would have noticed that Fujikawa’s roots were an auburn tone due to her dying her hair.

Zoe had never been drunk before, and for good reason. Not a reason she was aware of, which in retrospect was kind of poor planning on the part of her creators, but it only took a few sips of the beer to have the warm flush of inebriation spread throughout the small woman’s form. “A tab? Oh no, I don’t think I need more than this.” She would point at the half pint of beer she had remaining, a grin on her face.

She didn’t stop Fujikawa from grasping her chin and turning her face to look into the woman’s crimson eyes. Zoe would blink slowly and smile, enjoying the warmth of the arm wrapped around her. “You’re warm. . .” Her voice was dreamy sounding as she nodded, mostly ineffectually as her chin was currently held in place by Fujikawa’s hand. “I want to record all the wonderful things you humans do. You’re so fascinating and uh. . . special! Yeah, that’s the word.” Zoe would be the absolute worst spy in the history of people with secret identities.

She knew now. Only after having attempted to taste Madrigal’s hair. So even though the urge to put Fujikawa’s beautiful red hair in her mouth to see if it tasted differently, she held back. Chances were that it didn’t taste different. But then again. . .  what if it did?

She would squirm slightly in her seat, waging a mighty battle of will in her mind until she finally couldn’t help herself and would reach to touch a strand of Fujikawa’s hair with a hopeful smile on her face.

“Oh do not worry about that. A tab will be helpful if you ever return in the future fufu~” The bartender had already made Zoe a tab anyway, writing down her order and how much money she owed. Still, it was fortunate that Zoe seemingly knew her limits. The bartender had seen far too many people making complete buffoons of themselves due to not knowing their limits. One may have argued the bartender should stop the inexperienced from getting too drunk but why would he? He was not their parents.

“Hmm? Warm, fascinating and special am I? Fufufufu. Yes, do praise me more~ But my dear, chance meetings such as this are special due to their limited nature and alas my dear, the hour grows late and I am feeling rather inebriated. As such, I will be taking my leave.” She freed Zoe’s chin from her grasp, bringing the free hand up to softly ruffle the blond’s hair. She rose from her chair upon the couch, throwing her hair back with a simple flick of her free hand.

The chemist made her way to the door, picking up the bottle of sake on the way out and dropping a bundle of Ryo notes on the bar. She waited not for the change, pulling open the door to head into the streets before stopping and turning back to face Zoe.

“Hmmm~ I would not be opposed to doing this again~” And then, as quickly as she had decided to leave, the red head vanished into the cold streets, the only sign she had ever been in the bar to begin with being the scent of her pipe hanging wistfully upon the winds.

[Exit thread]

Zoe was mildly disappointed that Fujikawa was leaving. She was rather enjoying the time spent with the woman with flame red hair. With a small pout Zoe would wave at Fujikawa as she left, perking up as she mentioned that she might like to see Zoe again. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again sometime.” Zoe wasn’t sure, since she wasn’t sure of most of her comings and goings, but it sounded right when she said it.

Deciding against finishing the beer that Fujikawa had given her, Zoe would collect her notebook and pen and place them both back in her boot. The night wasn’t especially cold, but it felt to her that it was warm as midday with the flush of alcohol altering her body’s reactions. So with a happy smile on her face she would wave goodbye to the bartender and wander off in the direction of her home, humming to herself as she went.

[Exit Thread]